Another Day on the Job
by CharmedKnights
Summary: Ladybug and Chat meet for another night of patrol. Ladybug contemplates the pros and cons of telling Chat who she is. Short story


Ladybug wearily flopped down next to Chat Noir. Her partner scooted over to give her space on the overlook they had decided to hide out on. Apparently, pulling two double shifts at her parents' bakery, attending classes and fighting an akuma in one day had taken it out of her. She was exhausted. Her partner looked weary but no more so than their usual fights, as if he reserved all his energy to fight the good fight. Chat flashed her a smile.

"Tough day?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," she replied.

"Anything I can do to be of assistance, my lady?" he asked, concern bleeding through his voice.

Ladybug smiled. He was still her kind, caring Chat. Over the years she found she could trust him with a great deal of things. That being said neither crossed the line of finding out who their partner was when the sun was up. For now, they had been content with just knowing their partner as Ladybug and Chat Noir. But was it really enough? Secret identities were sacred between the two. It hadn't been discussed since they had left high school. That did not mean that the curiosity was getting to her. Just who was her partner? What was he like during the day? His likes? His dislikes? What did he like to do in his free time? Would he like her?

"No Chat, but thank you."

"Please, don't hesitate to ask if you change your mind," Chat insisted.

Ladybug nodded. She leaned her head on a leather clad shoulder. A slow, relaxed breath left her lips. Chat stiffened at first. He always did whenever she was the one to initiate first contact. However, he relaxed just as quickly and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, taking a cut of the chill from the night air off the red heroine. Fall was swiftly approaching. After fall would come winter. They would have to do something about their costumes, winterize them or something. Chat would probably be fine in leather so long as temperatures were not below zero. He often complained of his suit during the summer heat, wanting nothing more than to laze about like the cat he was.

"I'm just tired." She told him, "I haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately."

"Then perhaps you should head home before your transformation wears off." Chat said seriously.

She knew he wanted more than anything to know the real Ladybug. He had been dying to know since they were fifteen. They were no longer kids anymore. They had grown up, filled out and had matured. But Chat still respected the fifteen year old girl he met so many years ago, the one who had wishes for anonymity. She had all but demanded it, threatening him with all nine lives he also claimed to have. She wondered if that didn't 'scare' him into his affections for her.

She knew she should get up but she was comfortable where she was and who she was with. Chat was safe. She had tried moving on past Adrien, it was 'so high school' after all. However, she still felt a flutter of nerves every time was around him but at least she had managed to stop stuttering around him like a fool. She was still timid around him but at least he considered her one of his friends and invited her to outings with him, Nino and Alya.

"I should," she agreed.

"Can you stand, my Lady?"

She slowly got up. He could tell by the way she was standing that she did not have much strength left. Her muscles burned. Her legs quaked like jelly. Her hand lingered by his shoulder because she used him as brace to help her up. He didn't seem to mind. He put a gloved hand on hers and smiled as reassuringly as he could. She could see a certain longing in Chat's eyes. A question lingered on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to ask her to stay, to reveal herself but he said nothing. It said something for his self-restraint.

How cruel for her to leave him now. She touched her earrings. Two dots. Not a lot of time but enough to get home on. Chat's ring showed something similar. She could wait the transformation out, change back. That was a bad idea, a small voice whispered in the back of her head. She wanted to believe differently. Chat would never hurt her intentionally. In fact he had saved her countless times, when his bad luck didn't try to do him in first.

"Goodnight Chat."

"It will be," he said almost wistfully. "I'll dream of you."

She ducked her head, despite having a mask to hide her blush. She quickly reached for her yo-yo and gave it a toss. Once it was secure she swung off, heading home. She did not have to turn around to know that Chat was watching her. His eyes were all but burning a hole in her back. A pang of regret struck her. She could have shown Chat. However, the two of them had developed an almost fear-like reaction to revealing their identities to their partners.

What if Chat did not like her as Marinette? Why would he? She was boring, plain old Marinette.

What if one of them got hurt? Or died? Chat had a hero complex when it came to her. If someone hurt her, all bets were off and the claws were drawn. Not only that but he had a nasty habit of jumping between her and the enemy, taking potentially deadly strikes to save her. Time and time again it happened. Time and time again it had caused an argument between the two of them. She was important, he argued. She was the only one who could save the possessed person from the akuma, he reasoned. It was his duty to protect his Lady, he admitted. She had fought back as well. She could not stop the akuma without him. His life was just as important as hers. They were partners and she knew the risks of what they were doing. She was bound to get hurt and she had come to terms with it.

Or what if the media found out? She was fighting tooth and nail to keep this secret from Alya. The Ladyblog was her worst fear. The media could ruin their lives. It was already hard enough to deal with police, news helicopters and adoring fans when they were in their uniforms. It would be infinitely worse if she were revealed to the public and they knew who she was during the day. It would be awful and she would never be able to cope. Or get a moment's rest for that matter. As if she got any rest now.

Worst yet… what if Chat left? If he didn't want to be her partner anymore, Marinette would be alone. That thought scared her more than it should have. She loved Adrien. Not Chat. That did not mean she wanted to see him go. If anything happened to him, she would never be able to forgive herself. That's why, even after all this time, she still could not tell Chat the truth. She could not tell him that Ladybug was Marinette.

* * *

 **Not much for me to say here. It was a drabble I made because I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing daily.**


End file.
